What's It Like To Work From Home? 33 Things Only Telecommuters Understand

Working from home, or what some call telecommuting, can be by turns awesome and brutal. Without the constructs of an office, you're forced to get out of bed, put on clothes (maybe), and be productive in a space that is usually reserved for winding down and relaxation. Sure, you can hang out at coffee shops and type away at your laptop for hours on end, but you inevitably end up loitering around the seat closest to the wall plug, and who's going to watch your computer when you need to go to the bathroom?

And what about the lack of co-workers? Working all by your lonesome can be, well, lonely. There's no one to bug when a problem occurs, and you can forget about that casual water cooler conversation. It's awesome not to be constrained to the shoe-box that is a cubicle, but instead of having your mail hand-delivered, a goody box of office supplies at your beck and call, and a facility of printers and computers to play on, you're stuck with whatever's in your fridge and trips to OfficeMax.

If you're a telecommuter, you know what I'm talking about: There are some things only we who work from home can truly understand.

You know not to underestimate the value of a good coffee maker

And of limiting your CPH (cups per hour) intake

oh, the agony of realizing you haven't gone grocery shopping

at least you can always pull together a meal from peanut butter, tortillas, and cereal

You may not have coworkers you see on a regular basis

But the baristas at the coffee shop down the street sure know everything about you job

Your social skills are not as fine-tuned as they used to be

And you worry that one day they may disappear forever

Yes, you are desperate for human interaction

so you're used to bribing people to come over and just "hang out"

You have a designated "work space" complete with a desk, ergonomic chair, office supplies, and stationary

But you find your couch to be more conducive to "creativity"

You justify sitting at home all day by telling yourself you'll go out that night

...until your friends call and suggest staying in

Putting on real clothing is a necessary evil

You don't understand the concept of a "work wardrobe"

And while you love the non-commute

You hate living and working in the same one-block radius

you don't have a designated lunch break

which means you snack all day

And drink even more coffee. (just because you can)

Water cooler conversation is traded in for gchat windows

When you explain that you work from home to people you can expect to see this face